There is a plethora of Test match talent on display in the Pro D2, with plenty of Welsh stars involved.
George North of Provence(Image: 2025 Icon Sport)
George North has been ripping it up in the Pro D2 as top Wales internationals are to now go head-to-head for promotion.
Wales legend North has been in red hot form for Provence lately, putting in a particularly impressive performance against Biarritz, a game they won 46-14.
North made some impressive line breaks and scored a superb try as his physicality shone through in the French second division. French rugby X account Parlez-Vous French Rugby wrote: “Just seen George North score for Provence in a obout the third minute. Two line breaks for him so far, he looks a freak compared to all the other players out there.”
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Pro D2, the second division of French rugby, is drawing to a close this Friday, and the stakes are extremely high with a place in the lucrative Top 14 at stake. One of those in the mix for a place in the Top 14 next season are Provence, where North and Tomas Francis ply their trade since leaving Wales.
Former Dragons fly-half Sam Davies’ team Grenoble are very much in the fight once more too as they top the table alongside Ross Moriarty’s Brive. Join WalesOnline Rugby’s WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free
Ospreys-bound Moriarty will, however, play no further part in their season after snapping two ligaments in his shoulder on his return recently.
There is one match left of the season for each team, with all set to play this Friday, May 16 at 8pm and there is a lot on the line for the top six in the coming weeks.
At the time of writing, the league table looks like this.
- Brive – 94 points
- Grenoble – 94 points
- Colomiers – 86 points
- Provence – 82 points
- Soyaux-Angouleme – 80 points
- Montalbanaise – 77 points
In recent years, the way in which promotion works has changed. The top two teams after 30 games have been played, in this case Brive and Grenoble, get an automatic home semi-final place, with no need to play in the quarter-finals.
Then, the remaining four teams in the top six play against each other for a place in the semi-finals against the top two teams just mentioned.
Whoever wins the play-off final gets automatic promotion to the Top 14 and is Pro D2 champion. The loser of the play-off final plays what is known as an ‘access match’ against the 13th-placed Top 14 team. The winner of that match gets a place in the Top 14 for the following season.
In theory, even if you were to finish sixth place, you could still win the Pro D2 and get automatic promotion. It’s similar to how the United Rugby Championship works.
We could potentially see a play-off final between Provence and Grenoble, which would see three former Ospreys play – Davies versus North and Francis.
Francis in action. (Image: (Photo by Loic Cousin/Icon Sport via Getty Images))
Last year, it was heartbreak for Wales international Davies with Grenoble.
The club from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region made it to the play-off final against Vannes, but were defeated 16-9, meaning Vannes went straight up and Grenoble had to play an access match.
Waiting for Grenoble were Montpellier, who had finished in 13th place that season of the Top 14. Despite a valiant effort from Grenoble, the boot of Louis Carbonel ensured Montpellier stayed in France’s elite division and Davies would have to wait another year to try again.
This year, it looks like he’ll be getting his chance again. Grenoble have secured their place in the top two with an eight-point gap between themselves and third place. Therefore, Davies is technically two wins away from promotion with Grenoble.
He signed a new deal with the French club in the summer, turning down offers from Top 14 sides after making a huge impact in French rugby.
It’s a similar story for North and Francis at Provence, who are in fourth place and in no danger of dropping from the top six with just one more game to play. However, they would need to win three matches to get automatic promotion – quarter-final, semi-final, final.
As for other notable players battling it out with these Welsh stars, England international Jonny May represents Soyaux-Angoulême and could be facing North and Francis in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, Courtney Lawes will likely be lining up for Brive.
At the time of writing, Vannes are currently bottom of the Top 14 table, so will be automatically relegated if they stay there. Stade Francais are second to last, so if they stay there, then they will have to play the access match.
However, there are still three matches left for each team in the Top 14 so it’s likely things will change in the coming weeks.